The term sleep paralysis refers to being unable to move just before entering or leaving sleep, it can also be accompanied by a feeling of pressure, like something is pressing on your chest, or a choking feeling. It is a harmless occurrence but can be very stressful if you don't understand what is happening or why, it can also be disturbing if it occurs after particularly frightening dreams.
When you sleep your body moves between different phases of sleep, including Rapid Eye Movement Sleep or REM sleep. Dreaming occurs during REM sleep and as a precaution to avoid injury our body will turn off our muscles ability to move. That way if your having a dream about going for a jog you don't end up kicking your dresser, or your spouse while you are having your dream. What causes sleep paralysis is when your body doesn't get the signal to turn your muscles back on and you wake up without the ability to move for a few seconds to a few minutes. This can be a very disturbing and frightening but isn't harmful.
Although it is normal to experience sleep paralysis at some point in your life at least once, if you are experiencing it regularly there are some things you can do to help yourself. First off if you commonly sleep on your back try a different sleep position. Sleeping on your back seems to just be more prone to sleep paralysis, from a personal stand point the only two times I have ever had the experience was while sleeping on my back. In general, and this may seem like an off handed comment but it is not, try to get more sleep, being tired or sleep deprived can make it harder for your body to move between the stages of sleep, leaving you more open to sleep paralysis.
Stress can be another factor that can cause sleep paralysis, whether mentally or physically being over stressed has been known to cause episodes of sleep paralysis. If you are having these episodes regularly try doing something to calm yourself down before you go to bed. Write in a journal, read a book, or playing a relaxing video game are some of the things that have helped me in the past.
Finally, if you are on any kind of new medications, especially those for the treatment of ADHD let your doctor know you are having issues with sleep paralysis. Again sleep paralysis is not harmful but it is unsettling and some medications can cause you to have an episode. Substance abuse and other non-prescription drugs can also cause episodes of sleep paralysis, if that applies to your situation.
What to do?
Since sleep paralysis is not harmful to you and will go away on it's own after a few minutes at most, I recommend just reminding yourself that you are safe, relax for a minute and give your body time to start itself up. There really is nothing you can do to make your body start up faster so panicking will only make the situation more uncomfortable.
However if you are experiencing sleep paralysis regularly I recommend talking to a doctor about it, you may have other sleep related conditions (like restless leg syndrome) which could be making you more prone to sleep paralysis. A doctor can also prescribe medication to help you sleep better in general which will help the frequency of your episodes.
Historical Bonus!
In the past, episodes of sleep paralysis were blamed on visitations by demons and other creatures of the night. The pressure and choking feeling that can accompany sleep paralysis, as well as the inability to move would make people believe that they were being attacked by a 'dark entity'. The mythical Succubus and Incubus, demons that would visit people in their sleep and violate them, are believed to be caused by episodes of sleep paralysis. Sleep Tight!
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